Spur



March 30, 1954 s. A. WTULICH SPUR Filed 001;. 26, 1951 INVEN TOR.

Patented Mar. 30, 1954 UNITED STATES? FATENT OFFICE SPUR Stanley A. Wtulich, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Application October 26, 1951, Serial No. 253,260

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved spur, the principal object being to provide a better device of this character for the use in horseback riding in general and especially in jumping.

The commonly used spur comprises a horse shoe-shaped yoke which, by means of a leather strap or a leather strap and a chain, is suitably fastened to the heel portion of the upper of a boot, or is secured to the heel of a boot by means of a thorn driven into the heel. Extending to the rear from the apex of the yoke is a shank which is forked at the end to hold a rowel, or, in accord with the more modern equestrian practice, is blunted to prevent pricking the skin of the horse when applying the spur.

In order to use a spur of this type, the rider must turn his foot about 45 degrees. This precludes an instantaneous application of the spur, even if the rotation of the foot is executed as quickly as possible. In addition, since the rider cannot turn his foot without changing the position of his knee and his calf in relation to the saddle, the amount of grip which he can exert and the security of his seat are greatly diminished at the moment of spurring. Jump riders especially find that if they were able to apply the spur more quickly and without their seat becoming insecure, refusals, bad jumps and spills could be more readily avoided.

In comprising a shank extending backward from the inner arm of the yoke, the herein claimed spur practically eliminates the angular movement of the foot which, in connection with other spurs, is required in order to touch the side of the horse with the rowel or the blunted point of the shank. As a result, spurring is accomplished much more rapidly and since there is practically no turning of the knee and the calf from their proper position at the saddle, the seat remains much more secure and a loss of the stirrup is less likely. As an added feature, an about 30 degree rise of the shank from its base eliminates the necessity of raising the heel to make the spur most effective.

The advantages of the herein-described spur are most striking when used on relatively narrowbarreled horses. Moreover, because of its construction, the spur can be fastened to the lower heel portion of the upper of a boot, at a position below the ankle-bone, which is preferred by many riders since it will prevent bruising of the anklebone. The fact that the shank extends backward at the inner side of the boot permits a restful position of the foot alongside the body of the horse. In contrast thereto, a projection of the shank from the apex of the yoke toward the horse would necessitate a forcing out of the foot, away from the horse and, therefore, tiring. For this reason, children competing in horsemanship at horse shows will find this spur helpful in improving their form, balance, and seat.

The accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a top view and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, serve to illustrate the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, they show a spur comprising a yoke formed by the arms l5 and I t which are shaped to fit over the heel portion of the upper of a boot. Each of the two arms is provided with a lug it near the end, as means to fasten the spur to a boot. It is to be understood that it will be no departure from this invention if the two arms of the yoke are shaped to fit the heel of a boot to be fastened thereto, or if, say, the lug at the outer arm is replaced by a buckle or other attaching means.

Generally, the shank of the herein claimed spur is fitted to the yoke so as to substantially form an extension backwards of the straight part of the arm hi, which is intended as the arm near the side of the horse. However, I prefer to fit the shank 2.1% to the yoke as shown in Fig. 1, illustrating a left spur. There, the shank extends back wards slightly lateral to the straight part of the inner arm and paralle1 to the line 33 which represents the center line of the boot to which the spur is to be attached.

While the shank shown in Fig. 1 may be considered as being within the same plane as the yoke of the spur, Fig. 2 shows an embodiment in which the shank 2i rises at an about 30 degree angle from its base. Instead of the shown blunted point of the shank, the end of the shank can be adapted to hold a rowel.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A spur comprising a horse shoe-shaped yoke fitting a boot, means for fastening the yoke to a boot, a shank adapted for touching the side of a horse, the said shank being fitted slightly lateral to the straight part of that arm of the yoke which is near the horses side and extending rearward parallel to the boot.

2. A spur comprising a horse shoe-shaped yoke fitting a boot, means for fastening the yoke to a boot, a shank adapted for touching the side of a horse, the said shank being fitted slightly lateral to the straight part of that arm of the yoke which is near the horses side and extending rearward parallel to the boot while rising at an angle of about 30 degrees.

STANLEY A. WTULICH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,290,445 Ol-eyar July 21, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 108,956 Germany Apr. 30, 1899 

